"Any notion that Mickey is giving up on the role are way off the mark. We'd love Tom Hardy to be involved, but he will not be playing me. I teamed up with Mickey because in my opinion there's nobody better to take on such a challenging role and nothing has changed there. He's so motivated by the role it's blown me away. I'm an ex-rugby player, films are Mickey's world and I totally trust in his vision for the film."

Rourke is a good actor but he is just too old to believably play Thomas throughout his career. Sorry Gareth, but if you insist on Rourke playing you it will end badly for your movie, meaning not many people will be interested in seeing it.

I ecko what ANTB said here. Gareth has a very interesting life story. The movie if they really do cast Rourke, will be without doubt, be a total and complete bust.

Posted by: Manny | Mar 27, 2012 12:34:26 PM

Please... anyone but Rourke.

Hardy would be ideal, even Statham.

Posted by: AG | Mar 27, 2012 12:40:50 PM

They will have to use a lot of CGI to make Mickey look like Gareth

Posted by: Brian35 | Mar 27, 2012 12:59:29 PM

Awwwww.... that's cute of you to "defend" Mickey, Gareth. And why wouldn't you? He's a big star that's taken an interest in you, and I'm sure you feel obligated to speak up for him. But, a small piece of advice: STFU. Just STFU. You can only hurt this project by saying stuff that CLEARLY comes from someone with zero knowledge of the movie industry.

You have 0% power over who plays you, because you can't make your movie on your own. It's not "your" movie, it's the studios movie, and they'll eventually cast whoever they think will make the picture the most money. Now, if they decide it's Tom Hardy (who I think is the perfect choice), you've already created some bad blood, when you could have just kept your mouth shut about it.

I personally want you to succeed, I'm happy that you came out and have moved the ball forward on LGBT rights. so, don't make any public comments unless you have to, ad always go through your PR. ALWAYS! If a misstep can bring down Tom Cruise for many years, you have to be extra careful!

XO

Posted by: Hollywood, CA | Mar 27, 2012 1:07:53 PM

I would consider seeing this movie with Tom Hardy but with Mickey, highly doubtful

Posted by: Grover Underwood | Mar 27, 2012 1:39:17 PM

Sounds like someone likes Mickey...

Posted by: Michael W. | Mar 27, 2012 2:38:03 PM

So Rourke is back in this role? Who the hell is going to finance such a train wreck of a venture?

Posted by: Rick S. | Mar 27, 2012 2:46:51 PM

LOL, people think this is a studio movie.

Posted by: sugarrhill | Mar 27, 2012 3:44:21 PM

Yeah, play yourself, Gareth. Rourke is too damned OLD. It will look so fake. Get someone to play you in the early years, then take over yourself for the adult years. Sophia Loren did that for her biopic.

Argh! I was so glad to hear that Rourke had dropped out of the role, so I'm frustrated to now hear it isn't true. That Rourke wants to play someone more than twenty years his junior suggests to me this is a vanity role for him, and I want a Gareth Thomas biopic to be about Thomas, not Rourke.